virginaustralia
057
OCTOBER |
{food & wine} EXPLORE
Words: Natasha Phillimore. Illustration: iStockphoto
Thanks to innovative winemakers and grog fests, top drops
are finding their way from country wineries to city cellar doors.
CITY SIPPERS
CALIFORNIA HAS led the way in urban
wineries, but now Australia's major cities
are getting in on the act. Despite the fact
that Tomich Wines in Adelaide Hills is
easily accessible from the capital, the
winery has decided to take its range to the
streets by opening a cellar door smack
bang in the heart of the city.
"Wine education is a big part of what we
do: local restaurants send their staff to us
for training," explains winemaker Randal
Tomich. "And we're hooking into the
food tour groups --- they go to the Central
Market, Haigh's Chocolates and end up
at our place. All these people probably
wouldn't make it to our cellar door."
Tomich is not the first to bring
grape-growing and winemaking closer
to those who imbibe the finished product.
Penfolds Magill Estate --- a vineyard,
winery, restaurant and sales outlet deep in
Adelaide suburbia --- learnt the wisdom of
being close to the CBD. Also, annual wine
festivals are bringing wine country to the
city, with events at Southgate, Melbourne;
and the Adelaide Convention Centre,
Adelaide. In fact, this month also marks
the launch of the Hunter Valley Uncorked
Festival in Sydney (October 12 and 13).
Making wines more accessible to try and
buy makes sense. Plus, it gives city slickers
an even better reason to unwind.
SPANISH
EXPEDITION
A gastronomic
guide to Barcelona.
Who be er to put together a guide to Barcelona's fab food
scene than MoVida Melbourne's chef Frank Comorra? He's
teamed up with The Age's food writer Richard Cornish to
bring MoVida Cocina (Murdoch Books, $49.99), a book
that's as beautiful as it is useful.
Comorra wanted to uncover the lesser-known cafes, bars
and restaurants of Barcelona that the average tourist might
overlook. Throughout the book, he and Cornish share their own
culinary experiences and discoveries, from small hidden nds
to award-winning restaurants, strengthened by suggestions
from their favourite local chefs. It provides information on the
best-value tapas and the smoothest Garibaldi cocktail, plus
an insight on Barcelona's vibrant culture and architecture.
HAUTE DOGS
The humble snag goes gourmet
as eateries all over Australia
reinvent the barbie's unsung hero.
It's the humble Aussie sausage,
but not as you know it. "We use the
best ingredients and no arti cial
avours --- many are preservative-
free," says Sydney's Snag Stand
co-founder and self-confessed sausage
obsessive, Philip Blanco. "We've
stepped it up a notch."
Try their wagyu beef snag with
bu er and garlic mash, or an Italian
brioche roll with pork, fennel and
sautéed capsicum (pictured above)
at Sydney's Pi Street West eld.
Blanco follows a line of carnivores
giving the meat-counter favourite
a makeover. Melbourne's Grandstand
Hot Dogs cart in Federation Square
serves gluten-free, preservative-free
and MSG-free sausages, while Mondo
Di Carne Butchers in Perth is famous
for its classic pure pork with "salt
and pepper and nothing else --- the
traditional Southern Italians are so
fussy about their sausages," says
owner Vincenzo Garre a. Even Sydney
society boy Justin Hemmes is in on
the act with his Excelsior Hotel in Surry
Hills serving up a Mexican hot dog
(pictured below) with pickled jalepeños,
pico de gallo, mayonnaise and cheese.